New: Mylène Farmer - Bleu Noir

I'm always amazed how little known Mylène Farmer is outside France, and what an immensely big figure she is in France.

Any time she does pop up in the media in the UK, she's usually referred to as 'The French Madonna'. Hardly a just comparison, they couldn't be further removed from each other than the fact that both are female and hugely successful artists.

To be honest I've always appreciated Farmer's work more than I've liked it. While I could appreciate the songs and the lyrics, I found the arrangements and production let them down.

My ears, atuned as they are to a more rock background, found the music lacking, a rather tame take on dance music at a time the genre was expanding and innovating hugely.

But hearing some of her new material from her 2010 album Bleue Noir seriously impressed me. Perhaps its because she's working with Moby - is one of the main innovative figures in music over the last few years - but this is for my money Mylene Farmer at her best.

I've been listening to the title track of the album heavily over the last few days and it's one of those songs that just grabs you and doesn't let go. The music and voice are just perfect together. It makes me want to listen to it in a club, at a huge volume, and dance very badly. It makes me want to raise my hands in the air while sitting at my desk listening on headphones.

So is she the French Lady Gaga? The French Kate Bush? Make your own comparisons. Any way its great.